An eye specialist at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Mr. Swaleu Abdul-Ganiew, has cautioned the general public to cultivate the habit of checking their eyes in order to prevent blindness.
According to him, protecting your eyesight is one of the most important things you can do to help maintain your quality of life. A type of sight-threatening eye problem affects one in six adults aged 45 and older. And the risk for vision loss only increases with age.
Since the leading causes of blindness and low vision in the country are age-related diseases such as muscular, cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, protecting your eyesight as you age is an essential part of your health care.
Mr. Abdul-Ganiew who was speaking on Community Development Show on Zaa Radio attributed the increase in low vision to the constant use of mobiles phones or computers, saying people who spend much time browsing the computer, phone or television turn to develop sight problems.
To prevent the disease, he has asked that you find out if you are at a higher risk for eye diseases, protect your eyes from harmful UV light, eat a healthy and balanced diet, and get your eyes checked at least every two years, and have regular physical exams to check for diabetes and high blood pressure.
He therefore advised the public to report to the clinic on time rather than seeking herbal or spiritual treatment. Eye diseases can cause damage and blindness if not treated soon enough he noted. He mentioned some of the challenges facing the eye clinic as the lack of enough operational materials and the delay in hospital attendance by patients.
BY:LILIAN D. WALTER
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